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Our Machine Masters

I confess up front that the title for this inspirational
reflection is stolen from a recent article by David Brooks who uses the same
title.I am a regular reader of Brooks,
not because I agree with everything he says, but because every thing he says is
so thoughtful and insightful.He takes
on big, important issues and deals with them in a way that I have to take
seriously.In this article Brooks
focuses on artificial intelligence.

I confess, too, that I know virtually nothing about
artificial intelligence.Rather than
take pride in my ignorance, I am worried about it.I know that ignorance is seldom
good---especially for the one who does not know.And that is precisely the point of Brooks’
trenchant treatment of the topic.I
figure if I am ignorant, at least I ought to know of what I am ignorant!What are the issues?

Early on Brooks quotes technology writer, Kevin Kelly.Kelly “argues that the age of artificial intelligence is finally at
hand.”Then Brooks adds another line
that is deep, but troubling.Kelly says,
“Everything that we formerly electrified we will now cognitize,”Let me unpack this a bit.We have electrified so much stuff in our
lives.If you have a garage door opener
in your car, that is electrified.Everything on your computer is electrified.And the list goes on.We use this electrified stuff to think about
and use to our advantage.

But
Kelly points to another step.Now you
are being bypassed.The computer not
only stores (electrifies) knowledge.It
begins to cognitize that material.To
cognitize is to think.In fact, the
computer has advanced to the state that it often can out-think humans.Humans lose chess matches to artificial
intelligence.Computers figure out which
music you like, which stuff in the grocery you buy, etc.What we once assumed was the human domain
(thinking and reason) is now being co-opted by computers who cognitize!

Now
Brooks steps into the equation.“Two big
implications flow from this. The first is sociological. If knowledge is power,
we’re about to see an even greater concentration of power.”Brooks says that the power will be
centralized in a few big companies—think Google or Amazon.And then he offers a sober warning.“If you think this power will be used for
entirely benign ends, then you have not read enough history.”

“The
second implication is philosophical,” says Brooks.“A.I. (artificial intelligence) will redefine
what it means to be human.”We may be
beaten at the intelligence game, but Brooks says we can win at the game of
affection, intuition, imagination, and morality.There will be the defining hallmarks of our
humanity.Our human advantage will be
“personal and moral faculties: being likable, industrious, trustworthy and
affectionate.”

I
like this list because it reminds me of the kind of spiritual characteristics I
think are central to being human.To be
fully human means to be spiritual.Just
look again at the four faculties Brooks enumerates.We can be likeable.For me likeable could be the basic step
toward loving.Likeable is foundational
to peacemaking.If people can become
more likeable, there will not be enemies.

Industrious
is the trait describing people who are willing to work and to be disciplined in
that process.Industriousness eradicates
laziness.Artificial intelligence will
not replace the need to work.It should
eliminate much of the drudgery of some work.

Trustworthy
is a huge human advantage---or disadvantage if it is missing.Trust goes to the heart of human interaction
and relationship.Artificial
intelligence can electronically hook up with other computers.But that’s different from developing trust.I know trust is simply another word for
faith.You cannot electrify faith and
automatically produce trust.And that
easily leads to affection and being affectionate.

Who
wants to hold hands with a computer!I
doubt that God is computer-like, although God’s work in the world might seem a
bit that way.The Biblical tradition
holds that God is love and I am still good with that basic definition.God is love and therefore capable of being
affectionate.And God is
trustworthy.No doubt God is industrious---six
days on the job and one day called Sabbath.

And
God is certainly likeable.God is always
for me and for you.What’s not to like
about that?If I can be clear about all
this, then I don’t ultimately worry about being mastered by machines.I know artificial intelligence will become
more prominent---whether I understand anything about it or not.But I am a child of God and not the
computer’s offspring.I am created in
the image of God---thank God!

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